Kiwi teacher sends ‘deeply disturbing’ letter criticising suicide

Principal of Karamu High School in Hastings, Michael Leitch stated the year-11 student’s death was an “irreversible and unacceptable choice that she made”.

His remarks, though, have been rightly criticised as “deeply disturbing” by social media users.

Suicide prevention advocate Mike King asked: “Is this the way we should handle youth suicide?

“A child who sees no way to escape her pain takes her own life and all she receives from us is blame, shame and judgement.”

Leitch told the Daily Mail Australia” Everyone of us at this school feels deeply for the student and her family and friends – and we do not want the letter to overshadow what they are going through.

“For those of us facing this sad issue in our schools, we try to do our very best for our students, our families and our community.”

The letter also included signs for parents to watch out for that their child might be suffering from depression, including changes to their normal behaviour, sleep patterns, appetite loss and moodiness.